building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a usually roofed and walled structure built for permanent use (as for a dwelling)

2

: the art or business of assembling materials into a structure

Synonyms of building

• structure
• house
• edifice

Examples of building in a Sentence

My office is in that small brick building.

We bought the land for building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fry had previously been arrested in 2018 after crashing a truck into a building that houses the FOX 4-KDFW news station in downtown Dallas, according to KDFW. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026

Following a meticulous four-year renovation, creative directors Kirstin Bailey and Paul Haslhofer have carefully preserved the building’s historic bones while introducing a more contemporary aesthetic. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026

Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building. —Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026

When my sister and I left the building, the morgue techs were still parked in the yellow loading zone between Target and Tower Cleaners—our dad’s dry-cleaning place—and just closing the tailgate of the hearse. —Amanda Peet, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bildyng, buldyng, from bilden, buylden, bulden "to build entry 1" + -yng -ing entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing building

• apartment building
• building block
• building society
• sick building syndrome
• team building
• world-building

Rhymes for building

• gilding
• boatbuilding
• outbuilding
• rebuilding
• roadbuilding
• shipbuilding
• upbuilding
• bodybuilding

Kids Definition

building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a permanent structure built as a dwelling, shelter, or place for human activity or for storage

an office building

2

: the art, work, or business of assembling materials into a structure